Hallochen

hallochen

chen.shadman@gmail.com

Express Steuer

Boosting Sign-ups by 135%; Conversion Optimization in a Tax Simulation Funnel

my role

Responsible for the acquisition funnel

setup

Bi-weekly cross-functional sprints

Time frame

Q4 2023

Express Steuer is a tax filing tool. It replaces complex forms with a simple flow, and helps users file taxes quickly, stress-free, and often with a better refund.

Problem

Users dropped off heavily at the final 3 steps of the tax estimation funnel, signalling deep issues of trust and clarity.

25%

Deviation from final tax notice

0.5%

Conversion Rate (30% bellow benchmark)

90%

Drop after the result step, & a similar drop on the following step

Bellow are the result, submission, and legal consent screens

Objective & Approach

Increase conversion from estimation to account creation by improving trust & clarity. We approached it through a broader scope: how can we make experience feel transparent, reliable, and motivating?

Sprint 01.

Exploring

Benchmarking

Data Analysis

Sprint 02.

Defining

Ideation

Stakeholder Alignment

Testing

Sprint 03.

Developing

Scoping

Craft

Alignment

Hand-off

Benchmarking

Competitors favor approachable language & live feedback but lack clarity. Wins: trust, progressive disclosure, visible refunds; losses: cognitive load, unclear breakdowns.

Ideas to Explore

01.

Show a persistent running refund

02.

Bite-sized contextual explanations

03.

Focus on one action per step or screen

04.

Prioritise interactive components over inputs

Data Analysis

I reviewed a previous Heart assessment and data, identifying friction, drop-offs, and high engagement areas—forming a redesign foundation.

Identified Issues

01.

Manual address fields

High abandonment / slower progression.

02.

Inconsistant Inyterface

Slower scanning, long time-on-task.

03.

No inline validation

More errors and backtracking.

04.

Arrow not discoverable

High frustration and bounce rate

A cross-functional session generated ideas tailored for our user segments, product functions & their needs.

Experienced Users

Checks their calculations in full

Frustrated Users

Needs continuous communication

Low Intention Users

Low confidence with Express Steuer

First Time Users

Low on tech. Value human interaction.

Cross-Functional Ideation & Testing

Testing with 15 users revealed confidence in estimates & smoother navigation.

Release

3 releases to balance business prio & tech feasibility. I aligned product and engineering for scope, dependencies, and rollout, ensuring quality while minimising dev risk.

First week A/B testing indicates conversion rate increase by 135% and bounce rate drop by 119%.

case studies

AutoScout24

Express Steuer

Yilu

Lufthansa

Home

AutoScout24

ExpressSteuer

Yilu

hallochen

Express Steuer

Boosting Sign-ups by 135%; Conversion Optimization in a Tax Simulation Funnel

my role

Responsible for the acquisition funnel

setup

Bi-weekly cross-functional sprints

Time frame

Q4 2023

Express Steuer is a tax filing tool. It replaces complex forms with a simple flow, and helps users file taxes quickly, stress-free, and often with a better refund.

Problem

Users dropped off heavily at the 3 final steps of the tax estimation funnel, signalling deep issues of trust and clarity.

25%

Deviation from final

tax notice

0.5%

Conversion Rate

(30% bellow benchmark)

90%

Drop after the result step, & a similar drop on the following step

Result Screen

Offer Screen

Submission Screen

Objective & Approach

Increase conversion from estimation to account creation by improving trust & clarity. From a broader scope: how can estimation feel transparent, reliable & motivating?

Sprint 01.

Exploring

Benchmarking

Data Analysis

Sprint 02.

Defining

Ideation

Stakeholder Alignment

Testing

Sprint 03.

Developing

Scoping

Craft

Alignment

Hand-off

Benchmarking

Competitors favor approachable language and live feedback but lack clarity. Wins: trust, progressive disclosure, visible refunds; losses: cognitive load, unclear breakdowns.

Ideas to Explore

01.

Show a persistent running refund status

02.

Bite-sized contextual explanations

03.

Focus on one action per step or screen

04.

Prioritise interactive components over inputs

Data Analysis

I reviewed a previous Heart assessment and analyzed the data, quickly identifying friction points, drop-offs, and high engagement areas—forming the foundation for the redesign.

Identified Issues

01.

Manual address fields

High abandonment / slower progression.

02.

Inconsistant Inyterface

Slower scanning, long time-on-task.

03.

No inline validation

More errors and backtracking, long time-on-task.

04.

Arrow not discoverable

High frustration and bounce rate

A cross-functional session generated ideas tailored for our user segments, product functions & their needs.

Experienced Users

Checks their calculations in full

Frustrated Users

Needs continuous communication

Low Intention Users

Low confidence with Express Steuer

First Time Users

Low on tech. High human interaction.

Cross-Functional Ideation & Testing

Usability sessions with 15 users. Feedback highlighted confidence in refund estimates and smoother navigation. We incorporated suggestions that reduced confusion and abandonment.

Release

3 releases to balance business prio & tech feasibility. I aligned product and engineering for scope, dependencies, and rollout, ensuring quality while minimising dev risk.

First week A/B testing indicates conversion rate increase by 135% and bounce rate drop by 119%.

case studies

AutoScout24

Express Steuer

Yilu

Lufthansa

Home

AutoScout24

ExpressSteuer

Yilu

hallochen

Express Steuer

Boosting signups by 135%; Conversion Optimisation in a Tax Simulation Funnel

my role

Responsible for the acquisition funnel

setup

Cross-Functional / Bi-Weekly Sprints

Time frame

Q4 2023

Express Steuer is a tax filing tool. It replaces complex forms with a simple flow, and helps users file taxes quickly, stress-free, and often with a better refund.

Problem

Users dropped off heavily at the 3 final steps of the tax estimation funnel, signalling deep issues of trust and clarity.

25%

Deviation from final

tax notice

0.5%

Conversion Rate

(30% bellow benchmark)

90%

Drop after the result step, and a similar drop on the following step

Result Screen

Offer Screen

Submission Screen

Objective & Approach

Increase conversion from estimation to account creation by improving trust & clarity. From a broader scope: how can estimation feel transparent, reliable & motivating?

Sprint 01.

Exploring

Benchmarking

Data Analysis

Sprint 02.

Defining

Ideation

Stakeholder Alignment

Testing

Sprint 03.

Developing

Scoping

Craft

Alignment

Hand-off

Benchmarking

Competitors favor approachable language and live feedback but lack clarity. Wins: trust, progressive disclosure, visible refunds; losses: cognitive load, unclear breakdowns.

Ideas to Explore

01.

Show a persistent running refund status

02.

Bite-sized contextual explanations

03.

Focus on one action per step or screen

04.

Prioritise interactive components over inputs

Data Analysis

I reviewed a previous Heart assessment and analyzed the data, quickly identifying friction points, drop-offs, and high engagement areas—forming the foundation for the redesign.

Identified Issues

01.

Manual address fields

High abandonment / slower progression.

02.

Inconsistent Interface

Slower scanning, long time-on-task.

03.

No inline validation

More errors and backtracking, long time-on-task.

04.

Arrow not discoverable

Missed shortcuts, frustration. Reduce height.

A cross-functional session generated ideas tailored for our user segments, product functions & their needs.

Experienced Users

Checks their calculations in full

Frustrated Users

Needs continuous communication

Low Intention Users

Low confidence with Express Steuer

First Time Users

Low on tech. Value human interaction.

Cross-Functional Ideation & Testing

Usability sessions with 15 participants of our blue-collar users. Feedback highlighted confidence in refund estimates and smoother navigation. We incorporated suggestions that reduced confusion and abandonment.